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b"sdAt times we can hear news that moves or inspires us and then we continue on our way.To internalize what we hear to the point of having an effect isn't very common.But at times can be very worthwhile.Have a good one ; h

Dalton, Reserve, Merlot 2010: Evolving nicely and now more approachable, came around well after a couple hours or so in a decanter, definitely one of the better israeli Merlot for the difficult 2010 vintage.

Ella Valley, Petite Sirah 2007: What a treat. Dark garnet towards purple with on the nose plenty of ripe blackberries, plums and oriental spices with a touch of dates. (very) full-bodied, rich and layered with on the palate plenty of ripe black and red forest berries as well as liquor-ish cherries, plums, cinnamon, a touch of dates and plenty of bittersweet chocolate with great acidity and still gripping, almost chewy tannins on the long and hedonistic finish. A rare delight (1807 bottles produced) and, unfortunately, my last bottle.

Shabbat lunch:

Netofa, Tinto 2011: This is a very unique wine. Showed really well but could be even better if given some time to open up.

Lueria, Grand Vital 2008: This one deserves a follow up tasting note as it was mind-blowing! This wine is entering its maturity and has now reached its peak but will most likely hold it for another 2-3 years. Following is my previous TN from August 2012:

While this is actually a new world blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Shiraz aged for 24 months in french barriques, it has an elegant nose more resembling a Bordeaux-blend yet the palate is still more new world. Dark purple towards garnet, full-bodied with on the nose bursting black currants, dark chocolate, roasted meat and sweet wood, followed on the palate by loads of deeply extracted fruit: juicy black currants and blackberries, Mediterranean herbs and a hint of tar along with notes of mouth-watering melted backer's chocolate and new leather, well-balanced with integrating near sweet-tannins on a very long finish. Elegant, complex and well-crafted, a wine that deserves IMHO to be considered as one of the best israeli wines.

So now the wine has evolved to a fully old-world character, showing on both the nose and palate secondary aromas with earthy and musky notes of loamy dirt and wet forest floor as well as smoked wood, roasted herbs and cloves. The fruit is there, juicy and well extracted and the body as well as the finish are plush and elegant, amazing wine, great job.

Fri Night - Baron Herzog CS 2011, the joys of having a decent bottle of wine on vacation, purchased from the Winn-Dixie outside Disney in Orlando.Sat Lunch - Samuel Smith's Organic Best Ale - I have long been a fan of the Organic Lager from this brewery, but this ale was much better, and a great buy.

Pepto-Bismol expires 07/14: solid pink with a waxy smell. Sort of a sick sweet artificial thiing going on the long but chalky finish. Tried 3 times at 1 hour intervals with consistent notes. Drink only if you need something that coats, soothes, and protects.

Pepto-Bismol expires 07/14: solid pink with a waxy smell. Sort of a sick sweet artificial thiing going on the long but chalky finish. Tried 3 times at 1 hour intervals with consistent notes. Drink only if you need something that coats, soothes, and protects.

Most interesting thing I had on Shabbos was a beer. Of course, with guests we hadn't seen in years (for those in the know, the Kelemans of Silver Spring, proprietor of the 3 Goldberg's Bagels stores there, former owners of Willow Glen Kosher Meats in San Jose, long time friends and my fishing buddy). They brought bagel challahs from Silver Spring, bagel dough with is braided, boiled and baked. Absolutely delicious. Of course, we had my wine, examples of everything. But as a person who has had them daily or weekly since bottling, no matter how good they are it was time for a change. So Dan also brought Don de Dieu, a Unibroue triple wheat that was absolutely delicious, and of which we soon had no more, followed by an assortment of other beer of lesser pedigree which were downed with equal rapidity, but not with equal enjoyment.

Midbar White 44 2010 - For me, this was the best showing of this wine. The pleasant roundness of the Gewurztraminer, Viogner and Semillon, was coupled with additional intriguing secondary flavors. While descriptors allude me at present, I recall those flavors as savory, a combination of herbal, zesty and sweet. It was nice to see that there was much more to the wine than the initial array of straightforward flavors. Interestingly, I didn't perceive much of the secondary flavors until I revisited the wine on Monday, having initially opened the bottle Friday evening. 13% AbV. B+/**/Y

Hagafen Prix Pinot Noir California Soliel North Block 2005 - In some ways this has matured more than the Fagan Creek bottling of the same vintage, but on the other hand the wine isn't as flat as that one. C/*/N

Nothing special on Friday night, was a shul dinner.Daytime we had:Dalton Viognier 2012 - superb wine, first time having it. I can see what the fuss was aboutDalton Shiraz Oak-Aged 2010 - really liked this a lot, quite full bodied and rich

Pepto-Bismol expires 07/14: solid pink with a waxy smell. Sort of a sick sweet artificial thiing going on the long but chalky finish. Tried 3 times at 1 hour intervals with consistent notes. Drink only if you need something that coats, soothes, and protects.

Where did you find the 2010 Soreka... The first vintage I saw or heard of coming into the Country was the 2011. Did you bring it from Israel and have you had both?

Love be with your day,

Yehoshua

Two comments - I found the Soreka 2010 that i BROUGHT BY HAND from Israel to be a solid A- wine. The wine that was brought in by Royal - was a B to B+ wine at BEST! Once again, shipping by Royal changed this wine in some way - NO QUESTION. This wine is here in US, Royal brought them in.

Where did you find the 2010 Soreka... The first vintage I saw or heard of coming into the Country was the 2011. Did you bring it from Israel and have you had both?

Love be with your day,

Yehoshua

Two comments - I found the Soreka 2010 that i BROUGHT BY HAND from Israel to be a solid A- wine. The wine that was brought in by Royal - was a B to B+ wine at BEST! Once again, shipping by Royal changed this wine in some way - NO QUESTION. This wine is here in US, Royal brought them in.

I am not sure what are you all talking about here. Is it the Carmel wine? David is obviously talking about the Carmel SUMEKA (NOT SOREKA) vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 that replaced the Kayoumi Cabernet Sauvignon for the 2010 vintage (unclear to me for now whether Carmel will go back to the Kayoumi with the 2011 or stick with the new Sumeka).

Where did you find the 2010 Soreka... The first vintage I saw or heard of coming into the Country was the 2011. Did you bring it from Israel and have you had both?

Love be with your day,

Yehoshua

Two comments - I found the Soreka 2010 that i BROUGHT BY HAND from Israel to be a solid A- wine. The wine that was brought in by Royal - was a B to B+ wine at BEST! Once again, shipping by Royal changed this wine in some way - NO QUESTION. This wine is here in US, Royal brought them in.

Hmmm.. The first batch of the 2011 was not brought in by Royal and then a short time later Royal got the Distro rights.. Hmmm.. Tasted from one of the Winery guys who came over from Israel last year and so lovingly waited 2 Hours for it to open up and waited for feedback.. Would agree when tasted A- yet have not tasted the latest delivery.. Sounds like I need to re-taste.

My bad, the wine I liked from Israel (hand shipped) was the 2010 Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard Sumaka! The 2010 Sumaka that was shipped here by Royal showed very poorly. The Sumaka wines, from what I hear, are OK, but nothing to write home about, maybe they have improved recently. Again, sorry for the mixup

Wow! I did not know I set off such a storm. The wine was definitely Soreka CS. I had it at a friend's house Friday night. Maybe I got the vintage incorrect. I do not think he shlepped it back from Israel. On the other hand, I am afraid I started a false search by confusing the vintage. My profound apologies.